REDACTED Will Have Her Revenge on Nar Shaddaa
"The path to Sithood is not one of clarity. To be a true Sith Lord, however... nothing will be beyond your elucidation." Lith6 Acknowledgements *Thanks to Kurt for writing and performing the awesome song that inspired the name of the story (among other things). *Thanks to Drew Karpyshyn for writing the legendary Old Republic book series, including my all time favorite Revan novel, which inspired me to write this. *Thanks to all the members of the Grand Imperial Order (former and current), if you're still out there. *And thanks to everyone who's ever taken a bit of time to read my works. You're the best! -Sean Prologue Scanning the agriworld's lush yellow surface, the Sith Lord found himself surrounded on all sides by danger. The old Sith garrison world of Thule now found itself infested with a legion of invaders, adorning strange armor and weapons that no one, not even the great swordsman and galactic loremaster Darth Waglington could even attempt to try and identify. Identification, however, proved to be low priority for the perilous Sith Empire. The Eternal Throne struck without mercy and without warning. From all sides, the already struggling Sith Empire was boxed in by the invading Zakuul, and ill-protected garrison worlds seemed to be their most favorite prey. Now, the Eternal Throne set its sights to the small world of Thule, where millions of Sith had been groomed and prepped for war. None of them, however, could prepare to defend from such an unstoppable force of destruction. What remained of the Grand Imperial Order was dispatched to defend Thule, but attacking them so overtly had proven to be a suicide tactic. Slash! ''To his left, another brother of the Order fell, gutted by the blue blade of a Zakuul Knight. Waglington recognized him as Elvenar, a particularly willful elder member of the Order. The Zakuul began to close in on the tightening circle of the Remnants, Lords falling constantly only moments apart. He heard a familiar voice to his side. "I'll be damned if I piss off into space before killing at least a thousand of you bughuggers!" Darth Jagger exclaimed as his eyes began to pulse a volatile magenta energy. Harnessing and amplifying his primal rage, Jagger crackled with raw Dark Side power and began to conjure an all-consuming Force Storm. Purple lightning crashed down into from sky, illuminating the entire valley and instantly frying dozens of incoming Zakuul Knights. A great hurricane force wind manifested from the growing concentration of primal energy, blowing many of the nearby Knights into the side of the mountain with astonishing force and ripping apart others. A great many of the invaders had been vanquished, but even more Sith had fallen comparatively, and now only two valiant survivors stood against the ever growing Zakuul horde. Now overcome with rage, Waglington drew a second lightsaber identical to his other, sporting a blade as black as the void emanating a ghostly light purple. Back in his element once again, the Sith Lord wielded both sabers with overwhelming consummate grace: the unmistakable image of a true Sith Marauder. Waglington lept into the steadfast horde of Knights and set about obliterating as many as he could before what he believed to be his inevitable death caught up with him. And it truly was a sight to behold - almost instantly as he smashed into the ground, several Knights were ripped apart from the shock wave of dark power. As a pair of Knights rushed to their doomed comrades' aid, they too were sliced to bits by the Marauder's twin lightabers. The two Sith, possibly the greatest duo of their Order, now stood on the edge of defeat even at the height of their power. Jagger was the first to begin to wane, narrowly avoiding dozens of mortal wounds and suffering multiple minor lacerations. Then, a Zakuul Knight seized Waglington, taking advantage of his small size and tossing him several feet away and smashing one of his lightsabers into disrepair with his massive feet. Waglington, try as he might, could not rise back to his feet, and Jagger was on his knees. Everything began to go dark. Then, the Dark Side embraced them. Act 1: Burnout Act 1: Chapter 1 - Champions of the Dark Side "Tell me, Wag... when you stand on the brink of death, will you remember me? Will you remember the Dark Side?" Waglington awoke from his death-like sleep in the center of a massive circular crack in the world. Looking toward the sky, he only saw a blanket of inky black void. His sides, however, were a different story. With no visible exits, the walls were all completely covered by flowing magma that Waglington miraculously seemed to be unharmed by. For all intents and purposes, Waglington believed himself to be in the dry heart of a massive volcano in an unknown world that he'd never seen before. Despite the daunting physical features of the environment, however, nothing was more apparent to him than the crushing presence of the Dark Side. He didn't feel it at first - he knew the darkness could be elusive - but the moment his senses began to return to him, he began to crush under the weight of the primal power that penetrated his spirit and mind. He felt as if someone was watching him, waiting for an answer to their question. Had someone been speaking to him? He had no way of telling. As he gripped his face, not only did he find his mask and lightsabers were missing, but as were his needle-tipped bracers, revealing that his usually light blue skin had darkened to a cloudy gray. "It's a sad hand fate has dealt you, is it not?" the voice said again, though it sounded less like a voice and more like a ghostly incantation. "Perhaps if you had followed my Sister instead, your destiny would be something less... dreary," it continued. Now Waglington could see the figure speaking to him clearly, a man with chalk white skin, red markings, and attire not so different from an Imperial nobleman's dress. Almost invisible, though, were his blaring crimson red eyes that seemed to rudely deter Waglington's gaze away instantly upon attempting to meet them with his own. "Taking in the scenery? I don't blame you for your confusion," he said. "I appear to few in any generation, and I've been alive far longer than any being you've been graced with the presence of. Do you know who I am, my little Sith?" inquired the apparition, lazily floating slightly above the ground with his arms crossed. The magma that covered the interior of the volcano seemed to eerily stop, as if on queue. Waglington opened his mouth to speak, though no words came out. He tried again. Nothing. What could possibly be the cause of this ailment? Had he... died? He shivered at the thought of it. What if he had met his end at the hands of his enemies on Thule? No, it wasn't possible. The Dark Side gave him all he needed. "Cathar got your tongue, Sith? Or just nothing to say?" The figure floated in closer to Waglington, almost uncomfortably close. "Are you afraid? Alone?" he said, laughing. Suddenly, the feeling he experienced around the figure became familiar. He had definitely felt him before. Vividly. Perhaps not directly - the physical manifestation didn't look like anything he had seen before - but the energy he produced was unmistakable. He felt him in the darkness when he lay in bed, waiting for sleep to come. He felt him when he had his heated debates with his fellow brothers. He felt him when he gave in to the flow of battle. Most vividly - and recently - he felt him when he crushed thousands of Zakuul on Thule. What stood before him was the Dark Side... nothing less than its purest form. "I've seen many Sith in my days, Waglington. Even more Dark Jedi. But I've only seen so many such as yourself in my time. The strongest bearers of the Dark Side are... drawn to each other. I've sensed your struggles in the past. I have seen firsthand the indecision you've felt - you spent so many years following Vitiate, the all powerful Sith Emperor, but just before your allegiance led you to a painful end, you were convinced to join the Order. Now, Vitiate has disappeared, and so have all your brothers. What will you do now?" he asked rhetorically. The figure once again began to float around the chasm, an absent look now concealing his features. "Perhaps you did die in that valley. It would make sense - I've never seen someone survive such an onslaught. But perhaps not. Perhaps you were strong enough to endure. Perhaps you are meant for something... greater," he continued. "I will give you one more chance, little Sith, but only because you are special to me. I release you back into the world, but you will not be the same. Know that I do not choose sides, but I will be watching with very specific attention. And to make things interesting..." the figure trailed off. Suddenly, Waglington's skin was restored to its original brilliant blue, but something else changed as well: his vision went completely dark for a moment and then adjusted themselves, their typical red circles replaced with dark swirls - he now saw the world in a different perspective. The Dark Side was now tangible, as clear in his eyes as day. And he felt powerful. More powerful than he had ever felt. He bore the mark of the Dark Side. As the reinvigorated Sith began to rise, the Dark Sider (as he dubbed him) cackled maniacally and dissolved into ash, fading away with the rising wind. Just as he was finally able to stand on his own two feet, Waglington began to black out once again, the warm embrace of the unconscious world once again reaching for him. He fell to the ground, the dark world collapsing around him. Act 1: Chapter 2 - Lounge Act Consciousness tended to come easy, especially for those who had made a living off of drowning themselves in the Force. For those who had been asleep for several years, however, to be awake once more would be as painful as a stab through the heart. The Sith Lord's first sense in years was that of the freezing cold after being trapped in a blanket of carbon and abruptly released. Immediately after, pain and confusion. Waglington fell to the ground, unable to move - completely paralyzed. Attempting to open his eyes, he only saw darkness; straining to do so would cause the complete opposite, scorching his eyes with normal light amplified to the scale of a star. Amid the darkness, he felt an urgent hand on his shoulder, desperately attempting to shake him back to the land of the living. "Wag, wake up!" Jagger said, now attempting to channel a healing current to revive his old friend. "It's no use, give him the serum!" said another unfamiliar voice. Suddenly, Waglington felt a prick in his arm resemblant of a stim, though the effects felt undeniably different than any drug he'd experienced before. With a blink, the Sith instantly felt reinvigorated, much like he did back in the Dark Sider's lair. The pain was overbearing, but the power was unmistakable - the strength he had gained had fully caught up with him. Finally, he was able to get his bearings; the two figures accompanying him appeared to be Sith as well, with Darth Jagger to his side, though not in his signature white armor. The other Sith was undoubtedly Lana Beniko, Minister of Sith Intelligence, and an unresolved love interest from the past. Seeing her gave Waglington pause. She no longer appeared meek and restrained as she did when he first saw her. She had truly embraced her powers now - she not only wore the garb of the Sith, she emanated power. And he couldn't help but notice she now wielded two lightsabers... "Lana..." Waglington uttered, unable to say much more. He noticed all of his equipment was missing, and he now only sported garb resemblant of a Sith Acolyte. "Come on, there's no time. We have to get to our contact in the Biofall District. I'll explain later," Lana said, leading her two allies outside of the dark chamber. Looking back, Waglington noticed two carbonite stasis blocks, freshly emptied of their contents. The trio stepped through a massive blast door, leading out to a balcony overlooking a massive city. The blaring lights temporarily deprived him of his sense of direction, but a combination of the powerful drugs Lana had given him and the healing power of the Dark Side restored him to a clear head quickly. Catching him attention quickly, though, were two gold-plated warriors that looked too similar to the Knights he faced on Thule for his liking. "The prisoners must not be allowed to escape. Take them!" said the Knight on the left, drawing a massive blue saberstaff. Almost as quickly as he finished the order, the other Knight drew his daunting blaster rifle that looked big enough to take out a rancor. Lana drew her twin red lightsabers, though Jagger and Waglington were still physically unarmed. On instinct, Waglington attempted to probe their minds. "These prisoners aren't important. You can let them go," he said, waving his hand. The Knights looked to each other in disbelief. "Is he kidding?" one asked. "Time for Plan B!" exclaimed Jagger as he began to channel a Force Storm. Lana tossed one of her sabers to Waglington, noting that Jagger had little use for a melee weapon in combat. The three Sith charged at the Knights, with two of them especially anxious to take revenge on their captors. Lana flashed a bolt of lightning at one of them and proceeded to leap at him, slicing multiple times at his head in an attempt to decapitate him. Waglington followed her lead with a saber throw, cutting a deep gash into the wounded Knight and engaging in combat. Jagger attempted to wither away at both of them with a steady Force Storm combined with several other dark spells. The unharmed Knight attempted to bring his saberstaff down on Lana's head, only to have his advances blocked by Waglington with a Soresu-like guard. With his weak spot exposed, Jagger flung a lightning bolt at a chink in his armor, sending him to his knees in pain. Lana finished him off with a slice to the neck, instantly killing him. The blaster wielding Knight fired a barrage at Waglington, forcing him back into a Shien reverse blade defense. Lana charged back into the fray of battle, empowered by Jagger's healing current. Meeting him head on, she sliced his blaster in half with ease and scorched his hand with an effortless side-strike. Jagger followed up with a Crush spell, preventing him from putting up any defense from Waglington's devastating blast of pure dark energy, which utterly obliterated him with the blink of an eye. "I think you owe me an explanation, Lana," said Waglington as he handed her lightsaber back to her. Act 1: Chapter 3 - Comfortably Numb "An explanation? Would you prefer it from beyond the grave or from the safety of an abandoned spaceport?" Lana asked sarcastically, looking to Jagger and Wag. The Chiss Sith cracked a smile and followed Lana's lead once again. Perhaps his questions weren't as urgent as survival after all. The trio continued on their path through the skyscraper balconies, now taking care to avoid the security probes that were placed on high alert. There was no way of telling if the authorities of this world knew their prisoners had sprung free, but they knew their best bet was to avoid anything that had a blaster welded on to it. "We have to make sure they don't spot us," Lana said. "Waglington, will you be able to conceal us in a pinch?" she continued. Before he could answer, a gold plated warrior much like the ones they'd fought earlier approached them, stopping them dead in their tracks. "Where do you think you're going? This is a restricted area," the warrior said. "Sorry... sir. We'll be on our way now," Jagger responded. Checking the communicator on his wrist to confirm his suspicions, an answer came before they could slip away. "That won't be necessary. Guards, to me! Detain the prisoners!" The warrior moved in and attempted to place a stun cuff on Lana. Thinking quickly, Waglington froze the soldier in place with Force Stasis, causing him to instantly drop the stun cuffs. He was not quick enough, however, to prevent his plea for help. A squadron of troopers equipped with jetpacks touched down on to the exposed balcony that the trio had been caught in. "Capture the prisoners at all costs! We cannot allow them to escape!" the soldier in the front said. "We have to keep moving! Come on!" yelled Lana as she made for the rooftops. The squad of soldiers began firing wildly, some of them attempting to stop their progress by blanketing them with a stream of fire produced by wrist launchers. The soldiers followed them to the elevated rooftop with their jetpacks, forcing the trio into a defensive position. Not interested in wasting any more time in a useless fight, Jagger blasted half of them out of the sky with a lightning charge, forcing the others into retreat. The trio now found themselves trapped on top of one of the highest points in the city. The quickest way down was now infested with probe droids and golden warriors; most other directions were controlled entirely by the sky troopers. "Well, now what do we do?" asked Jagger. Lana looked uncertain, but Waglington knew exactly what to do. Motioning for them to follow him to the edge, his signature wicked grin was instantly recognizable. "JUMP!" The trio landed on top of a passing speeder taxi, two thirds of them mortified out of their minds after surviving a jump most men would die from instantly, Sith or not. The passengers of the taxi itself had little time to react before Waglington grabbed both of them and tossed them over the edge on top of a nearby rooftop pool. The Sith Lord seized the controls of the taxi, slicing into the holomap and handing control to Lana. Working quickly, she directed the ship's controls to what Waglington assumed was the abandoned spacesport she was referring to. Perhaps he would finally get his precious answers! Lana hadn't been lying when she said the spaceport had been abandoned. The sector that it was located in seemed complately barren, a stark contrast of the bustling remainder of the city. Civillian activity was sparse; the only buildings there were run down apartments and cantinas that no respectable noble would ever dare show his face in. In the center of the abandoned sector was the spaceport Lana had been referring to. Luckily, the landing bay seemed to be intact, allowing for a fairly smooth landing with the taxi. Taking a moment to look around, Lana located a hidden panel on the wall of the blast door and entered a ridiculously long code, prompting the enormous door to slide open into the massive spaceport chamber. Waglington and Jagger were given pause. The spaceport didn't look too different in design compared to that of Dromund Kaas or even Korriban, but the great damage it had faced was almost haunting. For the first time in their lives, they'd seen a very different side of the Galaxy. Perhaps now wasn't the time to dwell on it. "This is McKagan Spaceport... home of the resistance for far too lo-" "Now hold on there, miss. I thought we agreed this was the Koth Vortena Memorial Spaceport." Another figure walked into the central chamber from the landing platform in the other room with a grin on his face. Lana sighed. "Hold your lightning, you two. He's a... 'friend,'" Lana strained to say. Act 1: Chapter 4 - Here She Comes Now "What exactly do you mean by friend?" Waglington asked. The man that stood before him was dark skinned in color, sporting a traditional scoundrel's green trenchcoat and red goggles hanging just above his eyes. He was a smuggler, no doubt about it. And Imperials (especially Sith) were almost required to be weary around his kind. He could feel it in Jagger as well. "I know this doesn't look good," Lana said. "But he was the only person on Zakuul that I knew I could turn to. His name is Koth Vortena. He's resourceful. Dangerous, yes. But useful," she said. Vortena coughed. "I'm uh, right here your highness. Smugglers have ears too," he chimed in. The question in Waglington's mind, however, was whether he was capable of using them. "Yes, well. The finer points of the human auditory system is not of import right now. Please leave us," she said briskly to the smuggler. Koth grinned. "Important Sith business to attend to? You're five years late," he said as he escorted himself out. That was probably in his best interest. The massive chamber was now occupied by only the three Sith. "Some answers now would be nice. I'm still in the dark," Jagger said impatiently. Lana nodded. "I owe you an explanation, yes. I hate to say it, but while you were gone, things... changed," she said. "When the Eternal Empire (as they call it) invaded the Galaxy, they didn't just attack the Empire. They tried to exterminate the Republic as well," she continued. "Things got bad quickly. At first both sides were able to hold them off on their own, but a lack of communication led to a lack of unity. The Republic thought it was the Empire. The Empire thought it was the Republic. By the time anyone realized what was really happening, the Order was fending off legions of their Knights on Thule. It was all a trap - not even all of you combined would be able to survive. They threw everything at you because they knew you'd be a threat. It's a miracle the entire planet wasn't leveled." Lana took a moment to breathe. "As much of a threat as you two were, they still spared you. They froze you in carbointe and took you to their home planet - here. The world of Zakuul. The seat of the Eternal Empire. You've both been in stasis for five years. Most smugglers don't survive much longer than that without waking up permanently damaged. But with the Empire's greatest warriors taken out of the picture, eradicating it entirely came easily." "It took them three days," Lana said solemnly. One by one, they sacked each of our worlds with ease. By the time the Siege of Dromund Kaas began, the Empire's forces were spread so thin that there was little resistance at all. When we reached out to the Republic for help, Saresh flatly refused. There was never any hope," she said. Jagger was quick to inquire. "What about the Republic, then? Surely they survive in at least some form," he said. Lana shook her head. "Once they eradicated the remnants of the Empire, they elimated the Republic threat entirely even quicker. I haven't heard anything from Darth Marr in three years. I don't know who's alive and who isn't now. But I knew that you two survived in at least some form. I had to come here to the heart of the enemy. It was the best course of action I could think of." "Planning your escape took six months. I needed help from someone who was... experienced in the craft. So I enlisted a local miscreant. One I knew could help me. As it turned out, I was correct in my judgment," she said. The smuggler she'd been referring to walked back inside. "You're welcome. I don't usually work for free, but there's still enough good folks on this damn planet to not abandon it just yet. I thought you two would be our best bet," he said with his arms crossed. Waglington contemplated the information. He was ecstatic to hear that the Repubic had finally fallen (bountiful an ally as they might be) though he'd only hoped their sworn enemies would be the ones to deliver the killing blow. What's worse is that there was no longer any sworn enemy to deal the blow. "What's our next move then?" Waglington asked. "Any good revolution is well armed. I think our friend here will be able to help us out," Lana said, motioning to Koth. Waglington nodded. "As much as I hate to admit it, you are our best bet, Mr. Vortena. What do you have to offer us?" the Sith inquired. "I thought you'd never ask." The Eternal Fleet began another orbit around Zakuul. Its grand architect and also its sole commander saw little merit in basing his Empire in a vulnerable city amongst billions of other beings, so the best and most obvious solution was to construct his grand throne room in the midst of stars. This propietor was troubled to say the least about the recent events that occurred on his planet. "Prince Arcann... enter the throne room." The Dark Prince obeyed, striding confidently towards the Immortal Emperor's seat of power. He, too had heard of the escape of his father's most valued prisoners. He had an idea of what he might be ordered to do. He obediently knelt before the throne upon reaching it and laid his lightsaber down as a sign of respect. "My son... the time has come for us to eliminate the Sith threat. Permanently. Go to the surface. Hunt down the rebels. And when you find them... show no mercy." Arcann nodded and turned to leave. "It will be done, my Emperor." "One more thing," the Emperor said. "Among this cell are two high value targets. Champions of more than the Sith... they are masters of the Dark Side. If they are able to defeat you, then there is no stopping them," he warned. "I understand." Act 1: Chapter 5 - Floyd the Arms Dealer The three Sith and their smuggler ally strided through the streets of Zakuul City, freshly changed into different attire to avoid detection by the local law enforcement. Now fugitives of the law, their faces had to be hid as well - even the slightest suspicious movement could spell danger. Caution was of the utmost importance. "Why would we all travel in a group? Aren't they on high alert looking for us?" asked Jagger impatiently as the group moved forward. "They're looking for three Sith," Lana said. "Not a swarm of orphans and an old witch. Stick to the plan and get near Wag if we're spotted. Above all, don't cause any fights," she finished, prompting a grunt from Jagger. Suddenly, a siren began to blare over their heads, emanating from a small device suspended by power lines. First believing they'd been detected, they braced to go into stealth, but after a few moments they realized the device's true intent. "ATTENTION CITIZENS OF ZAKUUL: THE MASKED ASSAILANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF SEVERAL BRAVE SERVANTS OF THE EMPEROR ARE STILL AT LARGE. THEY ARE BELIEVED TO BE HEAVILY ARMED AND DANGEROUS. IF SPOTTED, DO NOT ENGAGE - REPORT TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY. SEEK A NEARBY WANTED POSTER FOR AN IN-DEPTH PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION. BE SAFE AND PRAISE THE IMMORTAL EMPEROR." The mechanical voice died down on queue with the sirens. Clever use of technology, Waglington thought. The Empire had employed similar methods in Dromund Kaas in the past. Perhaps that was their inspiration. "I don't like sneaking around like this," Koth said. "It gives me a bad feeling. I'd rather go in guns blazing. Besides, my contact doesn't take the word of strangers," he said. "Are you insane?" Waglington asked. "Any good businessman will listen to anyone who's got the coin to buy the merch. I'm not even going to humor your suggestion about shooting everyone we see," he continued. The smuggler shut his mouth. As the group drew closer to the south wall of the city, it gradually became more worn down, much like the district around the spaceport the rebels had based their operations in. Unlike the spaceport, however, this corner of the city was teeming with activity. Not military or anything typical, mind you - it was clear to Waglington and his entourage that this was the black market. They were safe from the Zakuul forces, yes, but this district may prove more dangerous still. "Welcome to Swinefunk District. They have everything here. Gree tentacles, rodian brains, small hydrogen bombs - the works," Koth explained as the group entered. "Sounds great. Do they have anything that might be useful?" Waglington asked. "But of course," Koth said with a smile. The scoundrel led the Sith to a small street shop run by a single figure in Mandalorian armor, sporting twin blasters. Laid out in front of him was a myriad of weapons, gear, and other assorted nonsense. "Gunfish, my old pal! How's the business coming?" Koth said with arms up, greeting the trader. "You damn bastard Vortena!! Who the hell let you in Swinefunk?!" Gunfish said, drawing both blasters and fixing them both firmly on Koth. Somehow, they had managed to run into more trouble. "I've got half a mind ta-" the man stopped abruptly, his gaze turning to the friends Vortena brought. "Hey hey hey, my name's Davy Gunfish, CEO of Gunfish Trading and Exports. Welcome! How can I help you? Looking for some rodian brains?" he asked confidently, placing a hand on Waglington's shoulder. "Hey, you look the hydrogen bomb type. I've got you covered! Now, how does 15k sound? Reasonable?" "Actually, we're looking for something a bit more conventional," Lana cut in. "We'll need some armor. Light, efficient, protective. Weapons, too. Can you provide?" she asked. Davy cackled maniacally. "Sure I've got doodads like that! Come, come. Step inside my rape ch- window shop!" he said, beckoning for the group to follow him into his hovel, burrowed into the wall of a rundown building. The interior was surprisingly quite luxurious. Lit up by a collection of gas lamps and chords, it seemed like an underworld paradise and seemed quite welcoming. The stench could use some work, however. Davy rummaged through a crate of what appeared to be junk, murmering a string of expletives to himself before returning to the group carrying a collection of high end gear. The arms dealer unveiled a few sets of armor, though it seemed strangely light-weighted. "Rancorskin Multi-Purpose Military Armor. Corellia crafted. Banned in 2/3 of all systems in the Galaxy. Spice runners, raiders, and even Imperial Operatives - when they were a thing - couldn't get enough of this crap. The coat is durable enough to nullify most blaster shots and shrug off a few fatal hits. Boots emit absolutely no sound unless you're sprinting in the Jedi Council chamber. Comes with a gas mask that'll stave off poisonous gas for hours at a time. I've got a red set and black set and two separate masks. Take a look." Waglington and Jagger examined the gear, both of them instantly turned on to its alluring appearance and protective qualities. Probing the dealer's mind the entirety of his pitch, Jagger was certain he was deadly serious about all of its qualities. After a quick conversation, they were convined. The two of them would receive the armor (Wag the red, Jagger the black) while Lana and Koth received the invididual masks to compliment their current armaments. "Very good. What about weapons?" Waglington asked. Davy reached back into the crate, grabbing a pair of vibroblades and interestingly four shaped blaster pistols. As he ignited one of the vibroblades, it buzzed to life and began to emanate a low, intimidating hum. "Top of the line razor sharp blades, just under a meter long. Used by assassins from Alderaan to Nar Shaddaa. When it's on, it's got a nice little perk in that it'll easily defend against lightsaber strikes. Eviscerates people a little easier, too. A convenient straight upgrade in a sense," he explained. Davy pulled out one of the pistols and cocked it, taking aim at a durasteel training dummy and firing a barrage of dozens of bolts in a mere second. Impressive. "This is the Lugermorph P51, the ultimate in semi-concealed weaponry. No question it'll kill a bantha in two seconds, the only question is where you're gonna put it." Davy's armaments were the top of the line and the best they could purchase (or steal) this side of the planet. However, even after a half hour of haggling, no compromise could be reached. Lana offered three gold-plated credits to Davy. "Will this settle it?" she asked impatiently. "Are you kidding? I've got... a mouth to feed! No way, no how." "Four then." "That's a good joke!" Lana rolled her eyes. Waglington, also sufficiently drained of patience, had another idea. "Excuse me Mr. Gunfish, do you mind if my colleague and I try these armaments out for ourselves?" he asked. Davy nodded. "Be my guest." Waglington motioned to Jagger, signifying his intent. As far as he could tell, Jagger had caught on quickly. The two suited up, decorating themselves with the Rancorskin and equipping the weapons, two blasters and a vibroblade each. "Oh yes indeed, this will serve us quite well..." Waglington said. Without warning, Waglington launched a concentrated lightning projectile at Davy's crotch, sending him to the ground sprawling in pain. His trusty signature move, Force Castrate, could always be counted on to get the job done. To finish the job, he fixed both pistols on the arms dealer and opened fire, filling his fleshy body with dozens of holes the moment he shot the barrage. "Let's get out of here!" Jagger exclaimed, tossing the masks and extra weapons to the others as the group made a hasty retreat out of the black market hovel. "My Lord, I believe we've found the rebel's hiding place. No sign of them, though," the officer spoke into his comm link. "Acknowledged. Turn the place upside down. Take everything apart until you find some clue as to their plans.. Have half your men watch the perimeter and alert the others when they return. I will be there to eliminate them within the hour." Act 1: Chaper 6 - Love Buzz After fleeing a safe distance from the black market, the group took a moment to regain their composure. Thankfully, Jagger and Waglington had finally been given sufficient gear to match that of their rescuers, making escape slightly less dangerous. As they had quickly learned, Gunfish was not without allies; apparently there was loyalty in the underworld, after all. The ensuing chase was one Waglington would rather not repeat. "That was regrettable," Lana said. "But we had no other choice." Koth caught up. "Personally, I think that was good fun, but now we've got one less potential business parter in the fight. What do we do now?" he asked. "I suppose the only thing we can do is head back to the spaceport and regroup," Waglington suggested. The quartet followed Waglington's lead, trusting in his ability to temporaily conceal the group using Force Camouflage. With vibroblade held in reverse grip and crouching stance, the Sith led them carefully through the city, taking care to heavily abuse the winding paths and sparsely patrolled rooftops. Too sparsely patrolled, in fact. Where had they all gone? Finally, sneaking along a rooftop boardwalk, they entered the dilapidated northwest region of Zakuul City, the basis of the spaceport. However, to the Siths' shock, the district didn't seem nearly as sparsely populated as it did when they departed from it several hours ago. A legion of gold-plated probe droids swarmed the area, scanning every nook and cranny with their heat-detecting scanners. While they dominated the sky, their organic counterparts, the Knights of Zakuul, had the entire area on lockdown; especially the spaceport, the entire foundation being seemingly torn down by massive war droids. By the time one of the probe droids glided into the proximity of the group, it was nearly too late. But Waglington's reflexes were faster than that of the droid. Thinking quickly, he blanketed the group in a sheet of Force Concealment, completely shielding them all from detection, even temporaily warping their Force Signatures into a different form of quintessence indetectable by mere droids. An ability he rarely used due to the nature of most operations he had been tasked with in the past years, he was unsure how long its effects would last or if it would assist them at all. Everyone held their breaths. None of them dared move. Thankfully, after a brief inspection, the droid zoomed by, on to its next specimen. Waglington released his control over the group and returned them to their normal state. The intense power strain and exertion it took to conceal them all, however, had clearly taken its toll on him, forcing him to collapse on to his back to rest. Lana gasped and ran to Waglington's side from the back of the group, nudging Koth Vortena to his side. Desperately attempting to revive the Chiss, she carefully pulled his red hood back and removed his mask, placing it on his chest. He appeared to be breathing, but only just. She'd seen powerful Dark Side powers backfire on their wielders before (she herself had dabbled in the arts in the past) and was not inclined to let her love die to something so petty. Lana stopped herself for a moment. Her love? What was he thinking? She couldn't let any lingering thoughts of intricacy distract her in such a vital time. There were more important things at stake. But she couldn't help it; she didn't want to help it - she loved the Chiss and could hardly contain herself at times. She wouldn't let him die. She couldn't... "Wag, wake up dammit!" Lana said. She was running out of options. She motioned for Jagger to begin using his sorcery in an attempt to revive him. Thinking quickly, she met her lips with Waglington's, loaning him her breath with mouth-to-mouth resucitation. After a few tense moments of sorcery and suggestive movements, the Sith Lord began to breath heavily once again, attempting to rid himself of his locked up throat by coughing, only to deprive himself of more air. She replaced her hand on his chest, attempting to calm his breaths and restore him to good health. A combination of her "not strictly professional," resuscitations and Jagger's healing spells had once again calmed his breaths and allowed him to rise once again, albeit with some back pain and stress. Despite being dead for a minute or so, he felt oddly invigorated. Perhaps it was the Dark Side. Perhaps it was the psychosis. Waglington and Lana both breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you... Lana." She smiled. "It was nothing," she said, turning away. He returned her smile kindly. "Ahem," interjected Jagger with rolled eyes. "I think we have a pillaged spaceport to tend to?" Koth nodded. "I agree with the space wizard. Let's tend to this situation, yeah?" Act 1: Chapter 7 - Aneurysm Waglington reignited his vibroblade and took the lead once again, overlooking the ramshackle spaceport with calculating attentiveness. The Zakuul forces appeared to be almost exclusively focued within the spaceport itself, actively ransacking the entirety of it, likely searching for any trace of them. It was clear they needed a distraction. "Got any more bright ideas, Sith?" Koth asked, turning to Waglington. "Sure I do," he replied, turning back. "If they're looking to find us, I say we give them what we want." The smuggler shook his head in disbelief. "Are you crazy? They'll kill us for sure!" Waglington cracked a smile as he reattached his mask. "There is no death, there is only the Force. And I am its master." Waglington motioned for Jagger to come to his assistance. Having an inkling of his intent, he complied, channeling a spell to link their quintessence energies together in an arcane bond. Now sufficiently charged, he began to harness the full extent of their combined powers to project a collective doppelganger of the group. Suddenly, four figures identical to the group began to manifest on the southern entrance, a perfect likeness. "Wait," Lana said. "You nearly collapsed last time you tried to pull something like this off. We can't have that happening again," she said. Waglington shook his head. "Maybe making them hostile would. Simple actions are a different story." Jagger nodded in agreement. "I have his back, Lana. Anything goes wrong, we've got more than enough energy to keep everyone stable." Lana hesistated, then reluctantly nodded. "If you think it's best..." Waglington continued to focus his power on the astral projections on the streets from the safety of the rooftop balcony, reaching out with one gloved hand and emanating a strange arcane energy, reminiscent of a dark purple haze produced by a toxic geiser. An unsettling feeling began to grip the two Sith by Waglington's side. Even the smuggler began to feel uneasy. They had all felt the touch Dark Side in some form before, but never this vividly. The projections began to shake to life suddenly, their misty forms materializing into the corporeal. Without warning, the projections began to dash into the spaceport, catching the attention of dozens of Zakuul Guardians who promptly opened fire. The Sith released his grip on the projections. "Quickly, now is our chance!" The remainder of the group shook back to life and followed Waglington's lead, sprinting down the building walkways to the streets below. Koth fired a compressed shot at one Skytrooper guarding their path while Lana assassinated a pair of Knights, clearing the path to the hidden entrance to the spaceport that Koth led them to. Waglington drew his Lugermorph and shot down a ramp that extended from the spaceport's roof, granting the group a simple way to the second roof door. "Come on, we have to get inside!" shouted Koth. "And what exactly do we plan to do once we get inside?" asked Waglington as he ran along with the group. "I've got a top of the line starship in there that'll get us out of the planet's orbit before anyone knows we're gone." The group ascended up the ramp and through the door into the the spaceport ramparts overlooking the central hangar bay. Sure enough, lying dead center was Koth's starship, though his "top of the line," description didn't seem 100% accurate. However, none of them were counting on there being dozens of guardians overlooking the ship from the ramparts. It didn't take very long for them to notice the clumsy group of four outlaws busting into the room. "Stop them!" one Knight said before promptly being violently Force pushed into the wall with his friends. The group leapt over the side and on to the ground, their falls cushioned by Jagger's protective barrier. Koth rushed to the control panel stationed on the side of the room. "Cover me while I boot this bucket of bolts up!" The three Sith assumed their positions and began chopping away at the Zakuul defenders, working in tandem to facilitiate their escape. Jagger charged a savage lightning bolt and flung it at Waglington who further charged it by absorbing it with tutaminis and releasing its full power on the Knights, utterly obliterating a chunk of them instantly. Lana ignited both her sabers and leapt on top of a massive Knight, gouging both of them deep into its neck to violently murder him. After a few more moments of tireless battle, the ship began to hum to life as a result of Koth's activation. Without killing enough Zakuul, though, the ship would be shot down as soon as it lifted off. Rational thought was no longer part of Waglington's think process. Something deep inside him, something as primal and raw as the Dark Side itself awokened. He had the power to destroy them all. And he would use it. His caught fire, but the flames lacked their normal vibrance, instead a pulsating magenta color that neither warmed nor singed his hands. Aiming them at the ever growing horde of Zakuul, a great rumbling began to fill the entire spaceport, causing most of the ramparts to collapse. Suddenly, a crack in the ground formed that seeped the same dark energy that consumed Waglington's hands. From the cracks, a great roar began to resound, and before any Zakuul could regain their composure a massive beast crawled up from the depths and began its savage rampage. His only hope was to shake his allies back to reality so they could escape. "Ignore it! Just get in the damn ship!" Waglington shouted. He grabbed the dazed Lana Beniko and Jagger, shoving them into the ship's hold. Koth joined them in disbelief, realizing that it was best to just pretend the terror pounding within his chest was just his imagination. The entrance ramp resealed and shut it off from further entrance. The group sprinted to the ship's control room, Koth seizing the controls as soon as they were in sight. The spaceport's ancient roof began to fold into itself to allow the ship to exit, with no remaining Zakuul guardians to even attempt to halt their escape. From below, the Sithspawn creature let loose one last great and terrible roar before climbing back into the depths from whence it came. Act 1: Chapter 8 - Dazed and Confused The starship rose up into the sky and began to glide among the skyscrapers, a score of orbital defense cannons wildly firing at them. Most of the shots were harmlessly dispersed by the ship's shield generator, others over (or under) shooting and subsequently ransacking civillian buildings. Apparently destroying their precious outlaws was more important than protecting public property. Sure enough, the brilliant blue sky above the city began to fade into darkness, the telltale sign of the approach of hyperspace transit. "Everyone, hold on to something!" Koth yelled from behind the controls. Waglington and the others firmly latched themselves on to anything they could find as the ship began to exit the atmosphere. The ship's passengers shielded their eyes, and after a mere moment of cover they found themselves in the void of space once again. After being trapped in a block of carbonite for more than five years, Jagger and Waglington found it as a welcome respite. Or it would, if not for the massive fleet waiting for them in the planet's orbit. Without warning, the fleet began to open fire on the starship. "Holy kriff! There must be at least 100 of them!" Koth exclaimed. Waglington's estimation was evidently much more daunting than Koth's. The Force was a powerful ally, but sometimes for the sake of his sanity, Waglington wished it would calm the hell down. Thankfully, Vortena's piloting skills were at least half decent, allowing them to dodge most of the shots, but only just. From their aft, three dreadnoughts began to move in to attack position. Waglington recognized their guise. "Ignore them! They have no firepower - focus on avoiding those frigates!" he told Koth. The smuggler wasn't accustomed to following orders (particularly insane ones) but given the situation and the company he was keeping, he didn't have many choices. The pilot swerved to avoid them and began to search for a clear path to jump to hyperspace. "Three tracer missiles port side, incoming!" Lana said from the copilot seat. The smuggler nodded and strafed to the left to avoid them, temporaily offsetting their path. Child's play. Koth sped towards the most aggressive frigate's bridge with the missiles on hot pursuit. Waglington recognized the vicious maneuver instantly. The starship was steered directly in the frigate's direction, and just before it collided into its bridge, the pilot pulled up, causing the missiles to crash violently back into their source. The ugly head had been cut off the snake's body, and with the bridge destroyed the frigate was rendered useless as it drifted aimlessly into the void. One down... "That'll buy us some time," Koth said. "But the rest of the fleet will be catching up soon. We have to jump to hyperspace, and fast!" he exclaimed. "Then do it already!" Jagger yelled. Koth picked up speed once again and raced towards an empty space not covered by the Zakuul fleet. "Three... two... one..." Act 1 Finale: Chapter 9 - Cosmo's Factory The starship rocked and trashed under heavy fire, its hyperdrive temporarily knocked out to prevent them from escaping. The pilot made a hard left to avoid a disabling shot, knocking Lana and Jagger off their feet. Waglington rushed to their aid, hoisting them both back up. "Where the hell did that come from?!" Waglington exclaimed. Koth activated a proximity holoprojector of the area to reveal their pursuer: the figure inside couldn't be identified, but the fighter he was piloting was clearly superior to the smuggler's starship. The pursuer fired another round of ion cannons, this time missing the starship only slightly. "The Coincidence can't take much more of that kind of fire," Koth said. "We're sitting ducks!" Seeking an answer, Waglington reached out with the Force to find some kind of clarity as to who their pursuer was. Chances are, he wouldn't recognize whoever it was, though names themselves were known to grant clarity. Vortnena cut to the left to avoid a direct collision with the fighter, letting loose a barrage of its own in retalition. None of the shots were able to hit, but at the very least the enemy pilot was thrown off. He was determined, though; even after narrowly surviving the barrage with his tiny fighter, he immediately reassumed his relentless chase. Waglington severed his connection with the pursuer. The only conclusion he could draw that, whoever it was, it was no ordinary pilot. He was strong with the Force - strong enough to mask his identity against even the likes of Lord Waglington. Trouble. Two more Zakuul fighters attempted to move into assist their pursuing leader. Waglington immediately sensed the anger in the pilot's heart. Not willing to let his prizes be eliminated by a common Knight, the pilot shot them both out of the sky immediately, firing a disabling shot at one and allowing it to glide lazily into the path of its partner, destroying them both instantly. Koth hung left and dodged another followup. "Got any more bright ideas, Sith?" he asked sarcastically. "Divert all energy to deflector shield port one," Waglington said. The pilot didn't bother protesting and immediately followed the ridiculous order. The Coincidence began to slow down, all of its energy being sacrificed to accomodate for its new orders. Just as Waglington planned. The fighter swooped in for one last shot to end the confrontation permanently. Just as it came within 10 meters of the port, a dangerously close distance, the port blew from the energy overload and consumed the fighter in a cloud of discharged plasma. Though not completely destroyed, the fighter and its pilot were now in no shape to continue their pursuit. He disengaged from the chase and began to fly back in the direction of the fleet. A dangerous escape, to be sure. But sometimes drastic measures had to be taken. Hyperspace was a desirable place to be. "To hyperspace. Now!" Lana ordered. The stars in front of them began to glow a brilliant blue, and within moments they had entered hyperspace travel. They had escaped Zakuul and its savage fleet - for now. The crew of the starship relaxed in their seats as they traveled through space at the speed of light, safe from any pursuers. "Wait," Waglington said. "What kind of a name is The Coincidence?" he asked. Koth raised his hand in defense. "Please," he said. "I'm not being paid to answer stupid questions. Actually, I'm not being paid at all," he continued. The quartet lazed in their seats for another half hour with no one uttering a word. Finally, Jagger broke the silence. "So... where do we go now?" Koth opened his eyes a crack. "I put the ship on the closest hyperspace route I could find. We're on a supersonic rollercoaster heading straight towards the southern Outer Rim. Wild Space," he explained. Lana perked up. "Wild Space. Perfect," she said. "If we're going to eliminate the Zakuul for good, we're going to need to find as many remnants of the Empire as possible and convince them to aid in our cause. The Republic, too. Last I heard, Darth Marr was hiding out in Tatooine waiting to hear from me. I've lost all communications with him." Koth shook his head. "I didn't sign up to start a revolution. I should be back on the planet right now, righting the wrongs I just made," he said. "This isn't a revolution," Lana said. "It's taking revenge on an empire of bastards who shouldn't have been able to take control in the first place. Besides, you're in this for the best of the good people on Zakuul. You'd be doing them a great disservice if you turned down an oppurtunity to defeat their oppressors once and for all," she said zealously. She had a point, Koth realized. "If you really think this Marr joker can help us take out the Zakuul... then let's go find him. He doesn't hate smugglers, does he?" Of course he did. Act 2: Coalition ''Coming soon... Category:SWTOR Category:Fan Stories